In recent years, a growing number of companies have introduced ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) packages. When the ERP packages are introduced, contracts including regulations of a fee system in which the fee is determined according to the number of simultaneously connected users, are frequently used. In such a case, in a state where an allowed number of connections in the contract are established, a new login request is rejected in an actual operation. That is, as long as any one of users who are logging in does not log off, a new user who desires to log in cannot log in. On the other hand, a user who is logging in does not always perform a task using the ERP package continuously between the login and the logoff. For example, there are many cases where he or she performs different work operations without logging off.
As stated above, even if a user does not need to keep a login state, he or she is counted in the simultaneous connection number unless a logoff is performed, and there occurs a case where a user who desires to log in and to perform the task using the ERP package cannot log in. Accordingly, if the login state is held only in the case where the task using the ERP package is actually performed, the number of simultaneously logging-in users can be decreased, and it also becomes possible to decrease the simultaneous connection number in the contract.
For example, JP-A-2000-315189 discloses a technique to restrict a login time. That is, each of computer terminals monitors whether a no-input time, in which a command for searching a database is not continuously inputted from a user after a connection with a host computer is established, reaches a reference time. The reference time can be set on a reference time setting window displayed on the screen of each computer terminal. When the no-input time reaches the reference time, each computer terminal displays a warning window to inform a user to that effect on the screen. When no command is inputted from the user within a fixed time after the display of the warning window, the terminal sends a forcible logoff command for forcibly disconnecting the connection with the computer terminal to the host computer.
However, in the related art as stated above, it cannot necessarily be said that the user licenses are effectively used in the environment in which the simultaneous connection number of users is limited. This is because, since the time until the forcible logoff can be set by the user, it is conceivable that the user sets the time until the forcible logoff to be longer than an actually required time. That is, according to the related art, even if the user forgets to log off, the logoff is automatically performed, and therefore, an effect can be expected as countermeasures against forgetting logoff. However, it cannot be said that sufficient consideration is given to a viewpoint of increasing a usable time of another user.